Without a doubt, Richard Francis Burton lived a life only imagined by Indiana Jones. He spoke over 20 languages, snuck into Mecca in disguise and brought back the Kama Sutra and translated it into English.
The Land of Midian is a dry but fascinating read of the archaeological survey of Midian, a place mentioned in the Koran and in the Bible. Burton's expedition performed complex mineral and geological surveys, along with mapping out the topography of the area. From a historical standpoint, this is golden.
The downisde of a book like this is that it's crying out for illustrations and maps so you can follow the survey. Sadly the Kindle copy lacks any such illustrations.
Overall I'm not too upset. It does make me want to read more about Burton and his amazing life of exploration and real adventure.